Raiders Sign 'Tokyo Toe' Kansei Matsuzawa to UDFA Contract, What to Know About Former Hawaii Kicker

Former Hawaii kicker Kansei Matsuzawa, also known as the "Tokyo Toe," is one step closer to becoming the first Japanese-born player to see NFL action.

The Las Vegas Raiders signed Matsuzawa as an undrafted free agent after the conclusion of the 2026 NFL draft Saturday night.

Matsuzawa is the first Japanese player to sign a contract through the NFL's International Player Pathway program.

Born in Ichikawa, Japan, Matsuzawa first learned kicking by studying YouTube videos, per ESPN's Kyle Bonagura.

After graduating high school in Chiba, Japan, he got his first opportunity to play North American football at Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio.

He then transferred to Hawaii, where he redshirted the 2023 season behind Matthew Shipley before he became the team's full-time placekicker in 2024.

Matsuzawa enjoyed a breakout season in 2025, during which he was named Hawaii football's first consensus All-American after going 27-for-29 on field goal attempts.

He tied a record set by Washington's Chuck Nelson 1982 by making 25 straight field goals to start the season, and finished the season as the only FBS kicker to make 25 field goals with no more than two misses.

Matsuzawa finished his Hawaii career having gone 72-for-72 on extra point attempts for a career total of 189 points.

Earlier this offseason, the Raiders moved on from longtime kicker Daniel Carlson by signing free agent Matt Gay.

Matsuzawa will now be set to compete with Gay this offseason to become the first player from Japan to make the jump to a 53-man NFL roster.